A bulldog trapped on a balcony, forced to live among its own faeces. A corgi kept in similarly squalid conditions, surrendered by its owner after community outrage. A Maltese shih tzu beaten with a metal pole – its attacker spared jail.

These are the kinds of animal cruelty cases the Victorian government promised to target with new laws almost a decade ago. But Guardian Australia can reveal those reforms have been shelved indefinitely.

An email sent to stakeholders by Agriculture Victoria last week confirms the long-promised animal care and protection bill has been removed from the parliamentary agenda.

“A busy legislative program has impacted the bill’s introduction to parliament and there is no current confirmed timing,” the email reads.

“Sufficient time for parliamentary consideration is needed due to the size and complexity of the bill, and its intersection with other legislation. The 2026 parliament calendar has fewer sitting days than usual due to the November election.”

The delay marks the latest chapter in a reform process stretching back nearly a decade, which the Animal Justice party MP Georgie Purcell compared to “an episode of Utopia”.

In 2017, the government committed to a review of the existing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986, with a view to replace it “with a modern animal welfare act” in 2019. A parliamentary inquiry that same year said modernising the act should be prioritised.

A four-year consultation followed, culminating in the release of a draft bill in late 2023, with plans for introduction in 2024.

The Australian Alliance for Animals, a coalition of animal welfare groups, wrote to the premier, Jacinta Allan, on Wednesday, urging her to introduce the bill without delay. The signatories included Nicola Beynon from Humane World for Animals, who said the current act was “one of the oldest pieces of animal welfare legislation in the country”, “not fit-for-purpose” and “failing animals”.

“The premier and her government have a responsibility to uphold their promise to recognise this and take action for animals immediately,” Beynon said.

The draft bill recognises all animals – from pets to farm animals and those in zoos – as sentient beings, meaning they are capable of feelings such as pain and pleasure. It also outlined minimum care requirements – including food, water, shelter, hygiene and exercise – backed by a new offence for owners who fail to meet them.

Also included in the bill were three animal cruelty offences, including an indictable offence for aggravated cruelty, torture or torment of an animal, which carried up to five years’ jail for individuals or a fine of more than $250,000, or $1.2m for organisations.

In a statement, the RSPCA said it had been advocating for reforming the state’s laws for “more than a decade” and urged “all parties and independents to commit to modernising our animal welfare legislation”.

“We know Victorians, regardless of who they vote for, love animals,” a spokesperson said. “We also know the current legislation no longer meets community expectations.”

The RSPCA has previously said the new laws would improve its inspectors’ ability to investigate animal cruelty cases, of which it receives more than 10,000 reports each year.

Purcell agreed, saying it would have led to earlier intervention in several high-profile cases. They include the bulldog living on a Hawthorn balcony surrounded by its own faeces and a corgi similarly trapped on a CBD balcony.

She said in the latter case, it was public outcry that forced the dog’s owner to ultimately surrender him, not the state’s laws.

“There was literally no legal intervention possible from authorities because the current act is designed to capture acts of cruelty, not neglect,” Purcell said.

She also pointed to the case of Millie, the Maltese shih tzu who was brutally beaten with a steel pole outside her home in Victoria and has never been found. The perpetrator’s two-month jail sentence was later reduced to a community-based sentence on appeal.

“Even in cases like Millie’s, which meet the incredibly high threshold, offenders still end up with a slap on the wrist because we have some of the weakest cruelty penalties in the country,” Purcell said.

“These animals suffered because of Jacinta Allan’s inaction and her inability to prioritise this important piece of legislation.”

A Victorian government spokesperson said it was important to “strike the right balance” between protecting animals from cruelty and “ensuring our animal industries can continue to operate responsibly and productively”.

“There is no place for animal cruelty and anyone who breaks the law will be investigated and dealt with,” they said.